Latest news with #JobsandSkillsAustralia
Mint
3 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Many Australians secretly use AI at work, a new report shows. Clearer rules could reduce ‘shadow AI'
Melbourne, Aug 16 (The Conversation) Australian workers are secretly using generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) tools – without knowledge or approval from their boss, a new report shows. The 'Our Gen AI Transition: Implications for Work and Skills' report from the federal government's Jobs and Skills Australia points to several studies, showing between 21 per cent and 27 per cent of workers (particularly in white collar industries) use AI behind their manager's back. Why do some people still hide it? The report says people commonly said they: -'feel that using AI is cheating' -have a 'fear of being seen as lazy' -and a 'fear of being seen as less competent'. What's most striking is that this rise in unapproved 'shadow use' of AI is happening even as the federal treasurer and Productivity Commission urge Australians to make the most of AI. The new report results highlight gaps in how we govern AI use at work, leaving workers and employers in the dark about the right thing to do. As I've seen in my work – both as a legal researcher looking at AI governance and as a practising lawyer – there are some jobs where the rules for using AI at work change as soon as you cross a state border within Australia. Risks and benefits of AI 'shadow use' The 124-page Jobs and Skills Australia report covers many issues, including early and uneven adoption of AI, how AI could help in future work and how it could affect job availability. Among its most interesting findings was that workers using AI in secret, which is not always a bad thing. The report found those using AI in the shadows are sometimes hidden leaders, 'driving bottom-up innovation in some sectors'. However, it also comes with serious risks. "Worker-led 'shadow use' is an important part of adoption to date. A significant portion of employees are using Gen AI tools independently, often without employer oversight, indicating grassroots enthusiasm but also raising governance and risk concerns." The report recommends harnessing this early adoption and experimentation, but warns: "In the absence of clear governance, shadow use may proliferate. This informal experimentation, while a source of innovation, can also fragment practices that are hard to scale or integrate later. It also increases risks around data security, accountability and compliance, and inconsistent outcomes." Real-world risks from AI failures The report calls for national stewardship of Australia's Gen AI transition through a coordinated national framework, centralised capability, and a whole-of-population boost in digital and AI skills. This mirrors my research, showing Australia's AI legal framework has blind spots, and our systems of knowledge, from law to legal reporting, need a fundamental rethink. Even in some professions where clearer rules have emerged, too often it's come after serious failures. In Victoria, a child protection worker entered sensitive details into ChatGPT about a court case concerning sexual offences against a young child. The Victorian information commissioner has banned the state's child protection staff from using AI tools until November 2026. Lawyers have also been found to misuse AI, from the United States and the United Kingdom to Australia. Yet another example – involving misleading information created by AI for a Melbourne murder case – was reported just yesterday. But even for lawyers, the rules are patchy and differ from state to state. (The Federal Court is among those still developing its rules.) For example, a lawyer in New South Wales is now clearly not allowed to use AI to generate the content of an affidavit, including 'altering, embellishing, strengthening, diluting or rephrasing a deponent's evidence'. However, no other state or territory has adopted this position as clearly. Clearer rules at work and as a nation Right now, using AI at work lies in a governance grey zone. Most organisations are running without clear policies, risk assessments or legal safeguards. Even if everyone's doing it, the first one caught will face the consequences. In my view, national uniform legislation for AI would be preferable. After all, the AI technology we're using is the same, whether you're in New South Wales or the Northern Territory – and AI knows no physical borders. But that's not looking likely yet. If employers don't want workers using AI in secret, what can they do? If there are obvious risks, start by giving workers clearer policies and training. One example is what the legal profession is doing now (in some states) to give clear, written guidance. While it's not perfect, it's a step in the right direction. But it's still arguably not good enough, especially because the rules aren't the same nationally. We need more proactive national AI governance – with clearer policies, training, ethical guidelines, a risk-based approach and compliance monitoring – to clarify the position for both workers and employers. Without a national AI governance policy, employers are being left to navigate a fragmented and inconsistent regulatory minefield, courting breaches at every turn. Meanwhile, the very workers who could be at the forefront of our AI transformation may be driven to use AI in secret, fearing they will be judged as lazy cheats. (The Conversation) SKS GRS GRS
AU Financial Review
4 days ago
- Business
- AU Financial Review
Business warns of ‘union veto' of AI use
The country's four major business groups have united to oppose a key government agency's backing for workers to co-design the rollout of artificial intelligence, fearing it paves the way for a union veto over the technology. Jobs and Skills Australia's landmark report on generative AI on Thursday recommended a whole-of-government institution to steward the transition to AI, a national compact to set out principles of AI implementation and support for workers 'co-designing' the technology.
Business Insider
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
AI will augment high-skilled jobs but hit clerical work hardest, Australia's government predicts
Australia's jobs market is bracing for an AI shake-up. Generative AI is set to automate large chunks of routine clerical and administrative work while serving as a powerful assistant for high-skilled roles, according to new modelling from Jobs and Skills Australia. The government agency's "Our Gen AI transition" report, released on Thursday, used economy-wide Computable General Equilibrium modelling — a type of economic simulation that tracks how changes ripple across all industries and occupations — to forecast how automation and augmentation could reshape Australia's labor market between now and 2050. The model incorporated "exposure" scores for 998 occupations, estimating how much of each job could be fully automated or partially augmented by AI technology. The results showed that only about 4% of the workforce is in occupations with high automation exposure, while 79% have low automation exposure but medium-to-high augmentation potential. That means AI is more likely to change how most jobs are done rather than eliminate them. JSA's report listed routine clerical roles, including general clerks, receptionists, accounting clerks, and bookkeepers, as the most automatable. At the other end of the spectrum, knowledge-intensive jobs like managers, engineers, healthcare professionals, and educators had higher augmentation potential. JSA's modelling projected the biggest job declines by 2050 for general clerks, receptionists, accounting clerks and bookkeepers, sales and marketing professionals, and programmers. It predicted the largest job gains for cleaners and laundry workers, nurses and midwives, business administration managers, construction and mining laborers, and hospitality workers — occupations that require physical presence and human touch. While the pace of change will vary depending on how quickly industries and occupations adopt generative AI, JSA forecasts slower employment growth through the 2030s as the labor market adjusts, followed by faster growth in the 2040s. "The quality of adoption and implementation will be instrumental in achieving the benefits of labor-augmenting tools," the report said. The report also found no evidence of a broad decline in entry-level hiring so far, but said early signs suggest these jobs may evolve, shifting from performing repetitive tasks to overseeing and refining AI-generated outputs. JSA urged policymakers to prepare now with targeted training, industry partnerships, and digital inclusion efforts to ensure all workers can benefit from the AI transition, especially women, older Australians, First Nations peoples, and people with disabilities, who the report found are more likely to be in roles with higher automation risk. The findings come amid a wider debate over how AI will affect human work. Satya Nadella, the Microsoft CEO, has argued that while " knowledge work" will be redefined as AI takes on tasks once done exclusively by people, humans will still be needed to oversee and direct the technology. Others are more pessimistic. Adam Dorr, the research director at the think tank RethinkX, has warned that AI could make most human jobs obsolete by 2045, leaving only a narrow set of roles that depend on human connection or ethical complexity. Geoffrey Hinton, dubbed the "Godfather of AI," has meanwhile said " mundane intellectual labor" is most at risk, predicting that one person could end up doing the work of 10 with AI assistance. In the eyes of the Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, AI will automate certain roles but create new jobs in areas such as robotics, while Bill Gates has highlighted the potential for AI to solve chronic shortages of teachers and doctors.
Sky News AU
21-07-2025
- Automotive
- Sky News AU
'Double pay, fake job': Traffic controllers in Australia lift the lid on their salaries - with some earning hundred of thousands a year to 'bludge' their way to financial freedom
Traffic controllers in Australia have revealed their extraordinary salaries for turning a stop sign, with some raking in as much as $200,000 a year to "bludge" their way to a comfortable living. According to Jobs and Skills Australia, 16,100 lollipop men and women are employed to ensure "the safety of emergency response teams, construction workers and the general public" by directing road and pedestrian traffic around construction, accidents or road disruptions. However, real-life traffic controllers say this is just a glossed-up job description. One worker from Logan, Brisbane, said the role requires little more than a two-day course followed by very easy work. "I make about $35 an hour. If anyone wants a sort of bludge job where you don't have to do much, traffic control is definitely the way to go," the man told Getahead app in a recent TikTok video. "You literally get paid to stand here. There are definitely worse gigs out there. "I'm a real estate agent by trade, so I just do this to pay bills." The young man said traffic controllers usually pick up shifts the night before, with the option to decline, adding: "It's basically freelance" work. A female traffic controller from Brisbane in a separate video said she earns "between $140,000 to $200,000 a year". The lollipop lady said her earnings are boosted by "really good" penalty rates and loadings, deserved due to the "high risk" nature of the role. She said she faces the challenge of the "ignorance of the public's awareness of traffic control" with another worker in the comments backing this up, saying they've even come close to death on the job. "I've been a traffic controller for two years while studying, and even on 12- to 16-hour days, the most I've made in a financial year is $88,000. The abuse and almost getting hit multiple times a day," they said. The risk isn't universal, according to Irish expat Ruth Birch who was stationed at a quiet footpath where she got "paid to be bored". "All I have to do is let people know that they can walk on this footpath through the little barriers," Ruth said of the "double pay fake job". "It's supposed to be 35 degrees today, and I am going to be standing there getting a tan." Another young female traffic controller, Nyah, took to TikTok in her high-vis gear to reveal that she earns $2,700 per week for 72 hours. Nevertheless, people in the comments said this isn't a lot of money to earn for working 12-hour shifts six days a week. "I would think you'd be getting paid more for 12-hour shifts," one bemused person wrote. "$33 average an hour seems a little low, they don't go time and a half after 10hours?" The discrepancy in earnings from each worker arises as salaries vary depending on whether the company is a CFMEU or a local one. The trade union pays some traffic controllers on Victoria's Big Build project $206,000 a year, based on a six-day, 56-hour work week. Private company salaries can range from $55,000 to $75,000 annually, with some companies offering hourly rates from $30, according to SEEK. The union salary of $49 per hour doubles to $98 per hour for 16 hours of double time, excluding a travel allowance of $315, a meal allowance of $ 186 for overtime, and a site allowance of $280 for mega projects. Former Victorian-Tasmanian division secretary John Setka last year told 3AW he finds it "insulting that traffic controllers get such a bad rap." "I mean, their job is so dangerous. There has been a number of them killed," he said. "The risk of serious injury. They're protecting the public. They're protecting the construction workers. "I mean, when it's raining torrential rain, and there's a concrete pour on they can't just say, 'Well, I'm gonna get up and I'm not standing there'. "They've got to stay there right till the end."
The Advertiser
08-07-2025
- General
- The Advertiser
Alarm as country kids turn away from school and uni
Floods, fires and COVID-19 may have pushed country kids out of school at the same time as young people turn away from employment and higher education, raising concerns about the rural workforce. The school non-attendance rate in regional Australia was 14.6 per cent in 2024, well above pre-pandemic levels of 10.6 per cent in 2019. This has been flagged as a "significant gap" in a landmark Jobs and Skills Australia report examining the future workforce in the bush, as school attendance is an early indicator of barriers to employment. While there has been a longstanding gap in school attendance between the country and the cities, the disparity was worsening in the aftermath of pandemic lockdowns and rolling natural disasters. "The barriers for student absence from school are often complex, interrelated and often specific to the student, family, school and community involved," said the report, released on Thursday. There was also a steep and rapid increase in the proportion of people aged between 18 and 24 not in education, employment or training. The rate of disengaged youth went from 12.2 per cent in 2023 to 15.3 per cent in 2024. It means many are at risk of failing to transition from school to higher education and employment, possibly due to barriers such as financial difficulties and poorer access to childcare, housing and public transport. "The substantial gap highlights the additional support that is required for youth in regional Australia to overcome barriers and move towards participating in education, training and employment," the report said. Regional Australia has its highest ever rate of people aged 25 to 54 in the workforce, sitting at more than 85 per cent, but young people needed better support. "If that younger group of people about to enter the prime workforce ... is becoming less engaged in both employment and education, we're looking at a risk to maintaining that level of participation and productivity as a result," Jobs and Skills Australia commissioner Barney Glover said. About one in six young people in regional Australia have disengaged from employment and education, compared to one in 10 in the cities. Worker recruitment remains one of the key challenges in the bush, with almost one in 10 essential jobs sitting vacant. The report set out a road map for change, recommending high school students in the regions have greater exposure to careers education and pathways. Where a lack of motivation or aspiration is a barrier, usually seen in cases of intergenerational disadvantage, students could be part of a program that links them with multiple local employers. There should also be greater co-operation between the higher education and vocational sectors, while improvements to visa settings and skills accreditation for migrant workers could ease labour shortages, the report said. Floods, fires and COVID-19 may have pushed country kids out of school at the same time as young people turn away from employment and higher education, raising concerns about the rural workforce. The school non-attendance rate in regional Australia was 14.6 per cent in 2024, well above pre-pandemic levels of 10.6 per cent in 2019. This has been flagged as a "significant gap" in a landmark Jobs and Skills Australia report examining the future workforce in the bush, as school attendance is an early indicator of barriers to employment. While there has been a longstanding gap in school attendance between the country and the cities, the disparity was worsening in the aftermath of pandemic lockdowns and rolling natural disasters. "The barriers for student absence from school are often complex, interrelated and often specific to the student, family, school and community involved," said the report, released on Thursday. There was also a steep and rapid increase in the proportion of people aged between 18 and 24 not in education, employment or training. The rate of disengaged youth went from 12.2 per cent in 2023 to 15.3 per cent in 2024. It means many are at risk of failing to transition from school to higher education and employment, possibly due to barriers such as financial difficulties and poorer access to childcare, housing and public transport. "The substantial gap highlights the additional support that is required for youth in regional Australia to overcome barriers and move towards participating in education, training and employment," the report said. Regional Australia has its highest ever rate of people aged 25 to 54 in the workforce, sitting at more than 85 per cent, but young people needed better support. "If that younger group of people about to enter the prime workforce ... is becoming less engaged in both employment and education, we're looking at a risk to maintaining that level of participation and productivity as a result," Jobs and Skills Australia commissioner Barney Glover said. About one in six young people in regional Australia have disengaged from employment and education, compared to one in 10 in the cities. Worker recruitment remains one of the key challenges in the bush, with almost one in 10 essential jobs sitting vacant. The report set out a road map for change, recommending high school students in the regions have greater exposure to careers education and pathways. Where a lack of motivation or aspiration is a barrier, usually seen in cases of intergenerational disadvantage, students could be part of a program that links them with multiple local employers. There should also be greater co-operation between the higher education and vocational sectors, while improvements to visa settings and skills accreditation for migrant workers could ease labour shortages, the report said. Floods, fires and COVID-19 may have pushed country kids out of school at the same time as young people turn away from employment and higher education, raising concerns about the rural workforce. The school non-attendance rate in regional Australia was 14.6 per cent in 2024, well above pre-pandemic levels of 10.6 per cent in 2019. This has been flagged as a "significant gap" in a landmark Jobs and Skills Australia report examining the future workforce in the bush, as school attendance is an early indicator of barriers to employment. While there has been a longstanding gap in school attendance between the country and the cities, the disparity was worsening in the aftermath of pandemic lockdowns and rolling natural disasters. "The barriers for student absence from school are often complex, interrelated and often specific to the student, family, school and community involved," said the report, released on Thursday. There was also a steep and rapid increase in the proportion of people aged between 18 and 24 not in education, employment or training. The rate of disengaged youth went from 12.2 per cent in 2023 to 15.3 per cent in 2024. It means many are at risk of failing to transition from school to higher education and employment, possibly due to barriers such as financial difficulties and poorer access to childcare, housing and public transport. "The substantial gap highlights the additional support that is required for youth in regional Australia to overcome barriers and move towards participating in education, training and employment," the report said. Regional Australia has its highest ever rate of people aged 25 to 54 in the workforce, sitting at more than 85 per cent, but young people needed better support. "If that younger group of people about to enter the prime workforce ... is becoming less engaged in both employment and education, we're looking at a risk to maintaining that level of participation and productivity as a result," Jobs and Skills Australia commissioner Barney Glover said. About one in six young people in regional Australia have disengaged from employment and education, compared to one in 10 in the cities. Worker recruitment remains one of the key challenges in the bush, with almost one in 10 essential jobs sitting vacant. The report set out a road map for change, recommending high school students in the regions have greater exposure to careers education and pathways. Where a lack of motivation or aspiration is a barrier, usually seen in cases of intergenerational disadvantage, students could be part of a program that links them with multiple local employers. There should also be greater co-operation between the higher education and vocational sectors, while improvements to visa settings and skills accreditation for migrant workers could ease labour shortages, the report said. Floods, fires and COVID-19 may have pushed country kids out of school at the same time as young people turn away from employment and higher education, raising concerns about the rural workforce. The school non-attendance rate in regional Australia was 14.6 per cent in 2024, well above pre-pandemic levels of 10.6 per cent in 2019. This has been flagged as a "significant gap" in a landmark Jobs and Skills Australia report examining the future workforce in the bush, as school attendance is an early indicator of barriers to employment. While there has been a longstanding gap in school attendance between the country and the cities, the disparity was worsening in the aftermath of pandemic lockdowns and rolling natural disasters. "The barriers for student absence from school are often complex, interrelated and often specific to the student, family, school and community involved," said the report, released on Thursday. There was also a steep and rapid increase in the proportion of people aged between 18 and 24 not in education, employment or training. The rate of disengaged youth went from 12.2 per cent in 2023 to 15.3 per cent in 2024. It means many are at risk of failing to transition from school to higher education and employment, possibly due to barriers such as financial difficulties and poorer access to childcare, housing and public transport. "The substantial gap highlights the additional support that is required for youth in regional Australia to overcome barriers and move towards participating in education, training and employment," the report said. Regional Australia has its highest ever rate of people aged 25 to 54 in the workforce, sitting at more than 85 per cent, but young people needed better support. "If that younger group of people about to enter the prime workforce ... is becoming less engaged in both employment and education, we're looking at a risk to maintaining that level of participation and productivity as a result," Jobs and Skills Australia commissioner Barney Glover said. About one in six young people in regional Australia have disengaged from employment and education, compared to one in 10 in the cities. Worker recruitment remains one of the key challenges in the bush, with almost one in 10 essential jobs sitting vacant. The report set out a road map for change, recommending high school students in the regions have greater exposure to careers education and pathways. Where a lack of motivation or aspiration is a barrier, usually seen in cases of intergenerational disadvantage, students could be part of a program that links them with multiple local employers. There should also be greater co-operation between the higher education and vocational sectors, while improvements to visa settings and skills accreditation for migrant workers could ease labour shortages, the report said.
